Roadtrip might be to Sixers' benefit

76ers head coach Brett Brown calls out a play during the second half against the Lakers Friday. Though the 76ers have struggled at home, Brown said things aren’t going to get any easier on their upcoming road trip. (Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA — Promptly, the 76ers dressed at their stalls, grabbed their belongings and exited their locker room.

They appeared ready to put another loss behind them. Or just ready to get away.

The Sixers are staring down a three-game Western Conference roadtrip, which begins Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. This trip is the only object standing in the way of a much-needed All-Star break. They have lost 15 of 18 overall and 10 of their last 11 at home, including seven in a row at Wells Fargo Center.

So the rapidity with which the Sixers were heading out of South Philly Friday night, following their 112-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, didn’t seem all that surprising.

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Maybe hitting the road will actually be to their benefit.

The Sixers (15-36) snapped a 13-game road losing streak Dec. 29. Since then, six of their seven victories have come away from home. Sixers coach Brett Brown has said he thinks the Sixers press too much while playing in front of their home crowd, trying too desperately to give their fans a win.

What do they say about the best laid plans?

“We’re now about to go on the road, and you have a Clipper team with Chris Paul coming in,” Brown said. “You’ve got a hot Golden State team that puts up big points in real short periods of time. And then you’re going to be at Utah to close out the pre-All-Star, middle-third of the season.

“My point is it’s not getting any easier. We have to find a way to stay together.”

Against the Clippers (35-18), the Sixers will be the first team to see Paul in more than a month. Los Angeles held down the fort, posting 12 wins in 18 games while the All-Star point guard rehabbed a shoulder injury.

The Clippers are the league’s second-highest-scoring team. The Sixers, on the flip side, have the worst scoring defense.

The Sixers finish off a back-to-back situation Monday at Golden State, a 30-plus-win team that trails the Clippers in the Pacific Division standings — and another team with an All-Star guard. Steph Curry, the NBA’s leader in 3-point makes and 3-point attempts, will get a chance to tee off from beyond the arc against a Sixers crew that is fifth-worst in the league in 3-point defense.

Then the Sixers close out the pre-All-Star break portion of their schedule Wednesday with a mirror-like image of themselves. They’ll head to Utah to face the Jazz, the Western Conference’s cellar dweller and a fellow ping-pong ball chaser.

Friday night’s loss to the Lakers sort of puts the onus on the Sixers to steal a road win or two.

“Yeah,” Evan Turner said, “and I think it’s possible. We play better on the road. Hopefully we can try to do that, but we have to do the things I mentioned prior — getting our transition defense together, allowing the team only one shot per possession. That’s it.”

NOTE: The Sixers’ home date against Washington March 1 has been added to the national TV schedule, the league announced. The teams will play at 7 p.m., with the game airing on NBATV. The motive behind the switch is related to the jersey retirement ceremony of Allen Iverson, which will take place that night.